What is a push than crash diet?

I gained 15 pounds after my mom died, and I ate and ate and ate. My dad always goes to the gym in the morning. I got tired of myself, and I began going with him.

I don’t believe in dieting – just eating better. I’ve slowly cut out soda. I only drink it if I have it in vodka (which is very occasional) or when I’m at a restaurant with friends and family. I take in fiber gummies so I’m not as hungry. I eat, but i don’t eat a lot as I used to. My dad only buys whole grain breads. I eat smaller portions, about a fist size or a little bigger. My grandparents owned a lot of Asian plates – which are smaller in comparison.

My snacks that I eat are fruit, and sometimes Luna bars (at work). I do indulge sometimes, because.. it isn’t normal if one doesn’t!!!!!

My dad and I go to the gym 3 times a week. I do light strength training and cardio. I’ve lost a few pounds, but losing weight does not happen in a week, or a month. It is a continual process that takes a while. you will feel yourself getting stronger.

Please don’t be so hard on yourself. I am still working on my progress as well.
If you don’t mind me asking, how tall are you?

Honestly, the easiest way to lose weight and get healthy (100lbs is NOT healthy unless you’re really short, bad teacher) is to stop thinking of it as dieting and exercising. Go for a walk during the day for a mile or two, then 1-3 times a week do a little cardio, or aerobics or … if you actually LIKED dancing but just didn’t like the teacher and other dancers, buy a dancing DVD and do it in your own living room at your own pace. Just take it slow and stop beating yourself up.

My problem is I think exercise is horribly boring, so I use an mp3 player or watch TV while on a treadmill or exercise bike. You still get your exercise, but you can avoid being bored out of your skull too.

Also, eat healthy. Try a smoothie for lunch instead of a sandwich. Snack on things that are healthy for you – veggies, or fruit, or a handful of nuts/seeds rather than potato chips etc that most of us snack on out of the machines. If you aren’t intaking a ton of calories, you don’t have to exercise everyday to stay healthy. And cheating every now and then is actually good for you if you have cravings. Also, read up on the chemical reactions that form cravings – you’d be surprised at how easy it is to stop your cravings when you understand the science behind it! Like, diet soda actually can cause cravings for sweet foods. Your body wanting certain vitamins can cause cravings for sweets, because the sweeter fruits often are the carriers of those vitamins, etc. A good vitamin supplement taken daily can help a LOT.

The real thing you need it sounds like is motivation to get into an exercise routine and a little bit more self-confidence that your teachers/fellow dancers took away from you. What THEY think doesn’t matter, what YOU think does. So don’t listen to their voice inside your head, start slow and as you build up stamina, you can do more and you’ll feel a whole lot better too. Weight loss SHOULD be slow, because if you go too fast, your body will start to eat your lean muscle and it becomes counter productive.

Start slow.Walk every day, then jog as you get used to it. Eat small healthy meals, but don’t be afraid to indulge now and then. Just not every day Just getting out and moving around and being active helps a ton, as logn as you don’t go home and sit down and eat whatever. Eat small portions, of healthy foods.

A smoothie isn’t enough to hold one over for a meal, imo.

I worked in a juice bar in a gym, and this guy would have smoothies constantly for 2/3 of his meals.. it was really unhealthy.

I consider smoothies more of a snack in between meals

Invest in a little mp3 player, music helps tons

I’m 5’5”, and my weight goes from 135-140. I used to be 117 lbs, but it is unrealistic to me.

Here are fiber gummies:
http://www.amazon.com/Vitafusion-Gummies-Weight-Management-90-Count/dp/B002NPCML0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308614093&sr=8-1

Fiber makes you fuller longer. I take 2 in the morning. If I forget to take it, I can tell in my appetite! XD You may have some side effects, such as gas… but it only lasts a week, but it is worth it in my opinion I just take vitamin supplements, protein shakes after working out, and try to eat well.

Another thing that really helps is reading labels and just thinking about what you’re eating. I have gained 30 pounds in the past few years, and I am trying to change my eating habits. I live alone, so it helps just not buying things like potato chips (because I can eat one bag in a sitting!). I’ve also really gotten into these thin bagels and flat breads at my local Target store – they are only 100 calories each, so it makes sandwiches a lot healthier. I have also discovered some other healthier meals than the forzen pizzas and macaroni and cheese I used to live off of – I found hot dogs and buns at the local grocery store that only add up to 140 calories per hot dog, so I can easily have two for a meal without feeling guilty. I’ve also discovered how I can make myself eat salads a couple of times a week – taco salads! I make some taco meat one night, and then save most of it in a tupper ware. Some lettuce, taco meat, salsa and onion makes a delicious salad, and healthy. Lastly, for when I get the urge to sit and munch on something, I pop my own popcorn. I got this microwave bowl for popcorn made by NordicWare (I got it my local Target) which allows you to pop popcorn seeds without any oil or butter – super healthy, and still yummy!

I’ve managed to lose about 5-7 pounds in the past 2 months just by thinking about these things, and eating healthier. I try to still eat when I’m hungry, because otherwise I find that I binge. So, I’ll cut up oranges and apples in the morning and bring them to work with me, so that I can munch on those (instead of buying chips or something). I’ve also stopped buying soda, because that is a big weakness of mine. I’ll still have it occassionally when I am out with friends, but I don’t crave it every day like I used to!

Like LoveChaCha said, you still have to indulge yourself sometimes. I had Dairy Queen for lunch today, and it was wonderful! But instead of getting a medium blizzard, burger and fries like I would have, I just had a small blizzard and a JR burger, which I found still filled me up, and didn’t make me feel like I was going to explode!

Oh, one last thing, for exercising – I bought some of those foil star stickers, and I put a sticker on my calendar each day that I go for a run (right now I’m only able to go about a mile or so). It helps me to visualize my exercise habits, and motivates me a little more. I think I am going to come up with some sort of reward program as well – I’d like to motivate myself to be up to running 3 miles or so in a month or two, but I am trying to take it slow. I think in the past, I pushed myself too quickly, and fell off the exercise wagon due to that (sore muscles, and a feeling of being inadequate when I couldn’t run the whole length of my path). http://www.mapmyrun.com is really cool for planning out routes around your home if that’s where you run or walk, because if you’re like me, you can’t estimate how far you’ve gone!

Hope this helps, and good luck!

I agree, Molzy I label read. I found out that one tortilla flat has 220 mg of sodium. I was shocked lol! I found one that is whole wheat, has lower carbs (I do love my carbs despite this lol), has lower sodium content and is 80 calories a flat. I had southwestern chicken soft tacos.. Oh nom.

If the weight gain was unexplained, and frankly if you were doing fairly intensive dance and gained a large amount of weight really fast it sounds like there might be an underlying contributor, it might be a good idea to talk to a doctor if you haven’t. There’s all kinds of hormonal issues that can cause sudden weight gain and make it nearly impossible to lose. I won’t go into tons of medical details here, but I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome a few years back and while it sucks to have, it’s also nice to know that when I was pushing myself nearly to death with dieting and exercising and nothing was happening, that I wasn’t crazy.

I would definitely recommend watching what you eat and trying to control portions. Try to give up the super bad things, like soda, and limit quantities of others while eating as many fruits and veggies as possible. Reading labels is also helpful if you eat a number of packaged foods. If you don’t cook, I’d definitely try it – buying minimally processed ingredients and cooking them yourself is so much healthier.

Exercise is great, but just going a couple miles isn’t going to burn a significant number of calories. It’ll make you feel healthier and stronger, but you can just as easily gain weight while exercising if you’re overindulging after a workout (the old, “I just went to the gym for an hour, so I’m going to treat myself to some ice cream” trap). Eat as if you’re not exercising, unless you’re doing something very strenuous for more than an hour at a time.

Getting into a steady habit of healthier foods and smaller portions will help keep you where you want to be for life. Some days it’s just not possible to exercise, but having good food habits will help you out on the days that exercise doesn’t happen.

I definitely agree with Elrohwen, it’s hard not to overindulge when you’re exercising! Also, I think you only burn like 100 calories per mile when walking/running. IMO, I’m trying to run to get healthier (because at 23, I shouldn’t get out of breath when I run up the stairs to my office!). I’m trying to eat healthier to lose a little weight (or redistribute it to muscle, which would also be fine).

I would definitely start by speaking with a doctor or a trainer or someone similar who is able to help you set realistic goals and understand your body type. This was the key for me. I had been dieting and excersizing for so long and it never seemed to work before I finally broke down, got a trainer and learned what was normal for me. He was able to tell me a lot of my personal stats that helped put things in perspective, especially body fat percentage. Weight alone can be so misleading because it doesn’t tell you how much of that weight is muscle, bones or fat. So for me, knowing the fat percentage was pivitol to knowing how much I could safely lose and it put my goals in a realistic place.

As far as diet goes, seriously throw away all of the junk that you have in the house and don’t buy more. If it’s not there, you can’t eat it. Don’t food shop when you’re hungry or having a craving. Always have a healthy snack with you if you’re going out somewhere, just in case you feel hungry and get tempted to stop and buy food. Try to find something that you find delicious but is also good for you as a treat (I like chocolate protein shakes, yum!) so that when you do have a craving you aren’t completely binging on something unhealthy. Drink a full glass of water when you feel hungry as thirst can often be mistaken for hunger. Keep an *honest* food journal. Don’t eat anything until you’ve written it down. It’s a lot harder to eat a brownie once you see it on paper next to all your goals. I also put together this little chart of how I was doing on my goals and taped it to the front of the fridge and pantry that way I had to remind myself what I was working toward before I could even access food The most important (and probably hardest) thing to remember is that results are not overnight, it’s hard work and dedication, but if you lose the weight in a healthy way, you’re more likely to keep it off.

Depression can do that. Have you talked to your doc about your depression? There are ways to manage it that work great.

I hear sitting on the floor with bunnies is great for depression too

If you are looking for a place to track your food and check in, I highly recommend myfooddiary.com. It’s $9/month, but its worth it. It has a great database for foods (you track your calories) and best of all, the forums are great. Everyone there is super supportive. There are many groups, including groups that do exercise challenges, or where you all weigh in weekly for support. I think they have a free trial of sorts too. If it would motivate you to eat healthier, you could even say that the reduced amount you pay for food could pay for the monthly fee.

loseit.com is a great food tracker too and it’s free. You can link it to any friends you have on it and keep track and buddy up. It really helps to add up your calories and set small goals. I had a lot of family losses 10 years ago and gained 70 lbs in only 6 months and the depression has made it tough to lose. The doctor calls it ‘stress’ weight and said as long as I try to consciously diet it’ll never go away because the body goes into a protective mode. (a comforting blanket of fat? lol)

Like the others have suggested I’ve gradually changed my eating habits and track it on loseit.com and keep my calorie count at a slight loss and I’m losing it gradually. (15 llbs over 3 months so far) You’re right, too hot to walk outside here and I don’t go to gyms but I have a couple of beginners yoga dvds that I like. At lunch we go to a nearby mall and walk a bit.

It’s been easier since my son moved out, I gave him all the junk food and cookies so now when I get stressed and binge, it’s on frozen fruit bars (yummy) and better stuff. Music on my mp3 player doesn’t motivate me but I have some websites with podcast downloads available, and when there’s a new Mugglenet podcast available I load it up and don’t let myself listen to it unless I’m walking. Audio books are great to listen to also.

Can you suggest anything that can help me break this thinking trap?

Have you tried anything like cognitive thought therapy? Hypnotherapy even?
It is so important to address these thought patterns and the way you view yourself. I’m disappointed to read your teacher called you lazy. Especially at the age you were. We’re so vulnerable to what people think of us at that age. I hope you haven’t taken on others negative attitudes as the way you now view yourself.

I also what to ditto Kate Monsters advice about underlying conditions. Seek out a different doctor that specialises in hormone disorders. As you were eleven when the gain happened, hormones could very well be contributors. It could also contribute to the depression. You own it to yourself to get that checked out. I’d start with a thyroid function test.

Have you heard of the Couch to 5k training program? It’s a 9 week program consisting of 3 runs a week. It’s designed to get you in shape (hence the name ) and it’s fun and doable! The website is http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml and of course, completely free. I’ve found that having a goal such as “run this distance” or “run this distance at this pace” is more motivating than “I wanna lose a few pounds”. You get to challenge yourself and see results almost instantly. It’s amazing when you start at a 20 minute run, alternating between 60 seconds of jogging at a comfortable pace and 90 seconds of walking and in 2 or 3 weeks time, you’ll be able to run all 20 minutes! It’s also nice to follow a plan to not only keep you motivated, but keep you from doing too much too soon. That almost always leads to injury (trust me, I went from 0 miles a week to 40 miles a week and fractured my femurs. Yess…) You said your arches hurt, so I’m not sure if running is an option for you YET- but you can do this exact same program on an elliptical.
You should also check out DailyGarnish.com This woman is AWESOME! Totally in love with her. She’s a food blogger and runner, although she started out like so many people- not happy with her health- physically and mentally. She started with the Couch to 5k program and has now run 3 or 4 marathons. She’s also vegetarian and shares a lot of her recipes, but you could easily add meat to them. She’s pregnant right now, so she’s not talking as much about exercise, but she archives things very clearly along the top row of links.
Good luck!

If you do take a break from meat, make sure you are getting the vitamins and proteins that you would usually get from it, from other sources. Supplements, especially for B12, will be needed.

Posted By Monkeybun on 06/25/2011 04:37 PM
If you do take a break from meat, make sure you are getting the vitamins and proteins that you would usually get from it, from other sources. Supplements, especially for B12, will be needed.

Agreed. You could do an 80% vegetarian diet and those are excellent to do! I actually think they are far more healthy than a full on vegetarian/vegan diet. If you eat 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, aim for about 16 or 17 of those meals to be meat free. Switching to a veggie-heavy diet is sooo beneficial! Your body gets this amazing influx of vitamins and minerals and goes to town… totally rejuvinating.  

If you do go vegetarian, GNC makes a really good vitamin packet called Ultra Mega Greens Women’s… you get a 30 day supply of prepackaged vitamins… 5 in each pack. It makes it easy to take and they cover all of your bases. Also, a Spirulina supplement is wonderful and has helped me so much with my energy levels. 

You may want to look at other “diets”. When I was going through some very tough times with my body (I would sleep literally 19 hours a day and no one knew why), I went to a naturopathic doctor and she had me cut out both gluten and dairy. WOW! I couldn’t believe what a difference it made. I think that I was actually allergic to both of those and while I didn’t get typical allergy symptoms like hives or difficulty breathing, low energy and mild/moderate depression have shown to be food allergy symptoms as well. These might be worth looking into! 

Good luck! Once you have a plan, everything will fall into place! Consider all of these little changes to be an investment in YOU. It pays off! 

Meat does a lot to one’s body.. and it isn’t always good all the time.

My dad went on a vegeterian diet (due to his gout flaring up) and he lost a lot of weight, and he slept like a baby. It is different for everyone